Some shots from last Columbus Day wked
Some shots from paddling on Lake George last Columbus Day weekend start here:
http://outdoors.webshots.com/photo/2176997050048488250UnQeej
As you can see ConnYak was paddling on LG that day...
LG
A coworker who lives on the lake believes color will be 75%. One has to remember though that LG lies in the eastern Adirondacks, which is dominated by eastern white pine forests. Although sections have colorful hardwoods, this is perhaps the least impressive foliage region of the Adirondacks due to pine domination. A ride from Glens falls to Scroon Lake on the Northway, dominated by white pine, often has leaf peepers asking, where's the foliage? They need to head west toward Indian Lake, Keene Valley, etc.
Other lakes as beautiful? While other larger Adirondack lakes with islands like Little Tupper, the Saranacs, and Lowes are certainly scenic, Lake George stands alone among larger lakes for mountains and cliffs that drop right to the shorelines vs. being background scenery. So despite the increased motorboat traffic on a holiday weekend, it should be breathtaking this weekend and despite fighting a bad cold and not up to a distance paddle, I will be on the Lake this weekend. Perhaps the Narrows from Bolton. (the closest body of water with mountains coming right down to shore to LG, in my opinion, are the Palisades and South Bay on Lake Champlain. Also, the lower Hudson below Newburgh.
Yep!
OK, about 85% sure to be heading up there…
Lake George Columbus Day
Hi,
I’m heading up with a few friends Columbus Day weekend to camp on Mohican Island off Bolton Landing. We’re canoeing out to the island. Hope we get some good weather although the outlook is kinda iffy.
.
"Other lakes as beautiful?
Lake George stands alone among larger lakes for mountains and cliffs that drop right to the shorelines vs. being background scenery."
Thanks for putting into words what I can see but can't express! :o)
Very nice lake
It’d be nicer if the motor boats assembled somewhere else during the summer, but even with dodging them it is a darned pretty lake. As described below, plus easy stops for lunch etc. And it’s the only lake I can think of where the water passes drinking water standards right of it.
The waves don’t stink - often something to play with even if it’s not the ocean.
Saturday LG?
The only launching spot I know is Bolton Landing. Anyone knows any other good launch besides that one?
I’d love to check out the northern part of the lake especially. (unless someone can tell me it’s not worth doing there). It’s a bit of a long haul from Bolton Landing. So a launch a bit futher north might be worth considering.
Looks like it might be a bit wet early. So I’m thinking of a late morning start…
Huletts Landing or Roger’s Rock
Both may cost a few bucks but they are worth it for the convenience. Both north from Bolton Landing.
There is a paddle boat only DEC launch several miles up from Bolton Landing, no services at all, but it isn’t a great bet if you really want to get out onto the lake and into the islands easily. You launch into the creek that flows into Northwest Bay and have to go south around the bottom tip of Tongue Mountain to get onto the main body of the lake.
Huletts Landing is on the east side, choices are the county park (if it’s open) which is free, or the marina close by that just asks several bucks for launching paddle boats. The marina is nice people - it’s not too hard to give them a few bucks - and the marina isn’t a huge one to navigate in and out of. You are close to some islands along the eastern shore there, and aren’t an obscenely long paddle from clusters further south.
Roger’s Rock is a state park well up there with the usual large park services. The downside is that you are a ways away from any major island clusters, though it’s not way far from the top of the lake if you feel like poking up along the canal that runs out of Lake George north.
Mossy Point
If you care to launch near the top of the lake there is Mossy Point: On Black Point Road, 2 miles north of the Village of Ticonderoga on the east shore of Lake George. Hard surface launching ramp.
We were there
all weekend. Great inland paddling there. It was fun running into you guys, too!
Thanks
For all the info. Will be launching from Huletts tomorrow (assuming it'll stop raining, as forecasted).
any good eating places?
BTW, any good place to eat?
I’ve done a few tourist traps. Some better than others. But maybe there’re better (especially fish/seafood) hiden some where?
In Bolton Landing
This is really the only place we’ve eaten after paddles, and not sure that you won’t hit huge crowds. Columbus Day wknd is huge in the Adirondacks. But there is a joint on the main drag, can’t remember its name, that sits back a bit behind a wooden deck. Decent and not fussy menu including non-carnivore choices at a reasonable price. There is another place that does Italian further down the street, also fairly reasonable compared to some of the stuff around there but can a major wait if it’s a busy weekend.
There is a quite nice Chinese restaurant down in/about North Glens Falls, on the west side of the version of Rt 9 that goes south out of Whitehall, as well. More commercial area, but it’s nice food and you aren’t far from a highway exit.
Lake George, NY
OK,
How cold was it there? It was down in the 30’s in CT this weekend.
I saw one canoe
at dock - green Old Town and a bunch of small tents, but nobody around on Sunday.
Don’t know
It wasn’t cold on Saturday. Evne a fuzzy rubber under the drytop was too warm once the sun came out (in mid-afternoon).
It’s cold Sunday but warmed back up today. I didn’t paddle, went biking instead (pedal, that is).
Leaves hasn’t quite full on yet. Probably better next weekend.
You probably got the best of it
Got rain last night and today here, also at LG if the report is right. And temps aren't breaking out of the 40's.
At this point in the leaf season, all it takes is one night like this and most of what is still hanging hits the ground.
Myself and SO had to sit it out - dirty rotten cold and neither of us can afford the time for a major setback right now. Grr.
work gets in the way
Rotten cold and sore throat here kept me off the lake as well this weekend. Plans for a paddle tomorrow and vac day quickly yanked by my boss due to a project. darn! The only upside is that LG foliage usually lags behind the surrounding Adks by a week due to warming from water. Thus, this weekend and early next week might be peak foliage and warming temps on Monday expected so still time for a nice paddle.
Try November
Two of my most memorable paddles on LG have been in November, on nice warm days that we often get in the first half of the month. The trees are bare, but the blueberries are scarlet red and the expanses of moss right along the shore combine to give beautiful color. Also, there are practical no motors out on the water then.
Cheers, AAM
Island camping closes Monday
And probably a lot of the land camping also closes this past weekend, too.